Star Trek, for those who might not know (hey, it could happen!), is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, first shown on this day in 1966 on NBC-TV, and broadcast up until June 3 1969.
Originally named Star Trek, it has acquired the retronym of Star Trek: The Original Series, due to the wealth of sequels that have followed it. It's set around the 23rd century and follows the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk, first officer Mr Spock and chief medical officer Leonard McCoy.
The actual premier of Star Trek saw fairly low ratings and modest advertising revenue. Before the end of the first season of Star Trek, some executives at NBC even wanted to cancel the series.
Toward the end of the second season, Star Trek was still in danger of cancellation. The lobbying by its fans gained it a third season, but NBC also moved its broadcast time to what was known as the Friday night "death slot". It was finally cancelled at the end of the third season, after 79 episodes were produced.
However, this was enough for the show to be "stripped" in TV syndication, allowing it to become extremely popular and gather a large cult following during the 1970s. The shows, books and movies are just as popular to this day, and the Guinness World Records lists the original Star Trek as having the largest number of spin-offs among all TV series in history.
Live long and prosper.
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